Celebrating Actors' Community Contributions At The Theater Project

On Friday, December 11th, and Saturday, December 12th, The Theater Project put on its annual production of the radio play It's a Wonderful Life a little differently: over Zoom, where actors and audience members participated from the safety of their homes to cap off what was certainly a unique year for the arts. And that wasn't the only different aspect of this year's production.

In holiday seasons past, TPP's production always included bringing a patron onstage to recognize their contributions to the arts. But with so much going on in New Jersey and the world at large, The Theater Project wanted to instead acknowledge artists that went above and beyond in serving the community this year.

On Friday, the cast, crew, and audience celebrated actress Barbara Guidi. Avid theatergoers may recognize her from The Theater Project's productions of Top Girls, For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls, Open Admissions, and, of course, It's A Wonderful Life. Most recently, she appeared in TPP's Zoom production of Dracula.

When she's not providing entertainment for the community, Guidi serves as the concierge at the Chelsea Assisted Living Facility in Fanwood, NJ. As nursing homes and care facilities have been hit the hardest by COVID-19, many caregivers have chosen to step back from their roles to protect themselves and their families.

But Guidi has committed completely to fostering a welcoming environment during a time when it's easy for quarantined residents to feel alone. Throughout this year, she has organized games, hot meals, and much more to ensure residents feel truly cared for. Even upon contracting COVID-19 herself, Barbara got back to work as soon as she was recovered to continue serving the facility and its members. Through her attentiveness and warmth, Guidi has helped residents experience life as fully as possible in a trying time.

Saturday's performance was dedicated to Angela Della Ventura. Another Wonderful Life alum, Della Ventura also appeared onstage in Three Tall Women, Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage and Defying Gravity. She served as a high-school Spanish teacher for many years, and was a volunteer interpreter for Waves of Health, traveling to the Dominican Republic with teams of healthcare workers. Waves of Health is dedicated to supporting primary health care needs of underserved communities in the developing world. Over the summer, Della Ventura volunteered her time with The Theater Project's ARK program, which paired actors on Zoom with children in the community to work on reading enrichment and engagement.

And since March, she's made positive contributions to her community outside the arts: with a food bank for Wilson Memorial Church in Watchung, NJ. Operating out of her dining room, Della Ventura has been collecting and delivering food to New Jersey residents in need since the start of the pandemic. A story that celebrates banding together as a community, It's a Wonderful Life seemed to be the perfect platform through which to recognize Guidi and Della Ventura's amazing work. And for The Theater Project, it was perhaps the best way to showcase the importance of theater artists' contributions in this unprecedented time-including the magic they work offstage.

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